Display device



Feb. 3, 1959 H. MESSMORE DISPLAY DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30, 1957 C 1959 H. MESSMORE 2,871,521

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Sept. 30, 1957 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY Feb. 3, 1959 H. MESSMORE 2,871,521

' DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Sept. 50, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Tlb n.

' INVENTOR #120; D MEJJ'MOAE AiTORNEY United States Pate 2,871,521 DISPLAY DEVICE Harold Messmore, New York, N. Y.- Application September 30, 1957, Serial No. 687,085 1 Claim. (Cl. 20- 5) This invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a display device used as a background to display articles or materials in an attractive manner. Thus, for example, the display device may be usedto provide an ornamental and attractive background at exhibits, fairs, industrial plants, etc., wherever it is desired to display something in a pleasing. and eye-catching manner.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide such display device which is attractive; which is of sectional construction, the sections being readily assembled to produce the display device or taken apart for movement from one location to another or for storage in compact form occupying relatively small space; which display device requires relatively few types of sections to form the complete device, thus rendering it feasible to produce the display device at reduced cost and reducing the labor and skill required to-assemble the device; and which display device can be made of any desired length simply by controlling the number of sections employed to make each device and of any desired width or depth and height by selecting sections of proper length and curvature to formthe back and coved ends. of the display device. v

Inaccordance with the. present invention, the display device is of a fluted or channeled construction, the flutes or channels running from top to bottom. of the device. It consists of a generally rectangular, preferably oblongular back wall, a cove or arch merging smoothly into the top of this back wall and end extensions at the opposite sides of the back wall, each extending approximately 90 in a direction at right angles to the height of the display device and each having at its top a forwardly extending cove or arch which merges smoothly and attractively into the back wall cove or arch Thus the display device has arches at its ends and top, sharply and attractively delineating the display area.

The back is composed of longitudinal sections each of a length equal to the height of the display device, each of fluted or concave-convex shape in cross-section, having at one side a straight (not flanged) side wall and having at the other side a side wall provided with a flange at its free end, which flange of each section is adapted to receive the straight or unflanged side wall of a contiguous section with the side walls abutting and removably secured together.

Each of the ends are composed of sections, each of a height or length equal to the height of the display device, the upper portion of each section being of gradually diminishing width toward the .upper end of the section and being arched, each section having a straight (not flanged) side wall at one side and at the other side a side wall provided with a flange at its free end. Each of the end sections in cross-section is of concavo-c-o-nvex shape and is so dimensioned that four sections when placed with their side edges abutting, as hereinafter described more fully, define a 90 arc.

The number of sections used to form the back wall will 'dependon the desired length oflthezback fwall. Four sections areemployedto define each end extension. By proper selection of the radius of curvaturesof the surface of the end sections and the width and height of theend sections, and by proper selection of thehei'ght. of the back sections, a display device of any desired depth and height may be produced. i

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and showing, for purposes of exemplification, preferred forms of this invention, without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instances,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a display device embodying this invention;.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectionthroughthedisplay device of Figure 1; i

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal. section. through the upper portion of the display device taken in a plane indicated by line 3-3 on Figure 1;

Figure 4' is a fragmentary perspective view showing one construction of the facing members ofthe display device;

Figure Sis a fragmentary vertical section showing the construction of the back sections forming the back wall of the display device;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of. one of the sections employed to form the back wall;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the end sections employed to form the end extensions of. the display device;

Figure8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a. modified form of section employed. to produce display devices of relatively great height, which sections have their side edges reinforced;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan view looking down on one end of the display device;

Figure 10 is a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale showing the connection between a facing member and a terminal end section; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary horizontal section .on an enlarged scale showing a preferred form of tubular bolt connection between contiguous sections.

In the drawing, 10 indicates a display background embodying the present invention and which consists of back wall 11 and end extensions 12 and 13, each of approximately curvature from back wall 11 to the front of the display device. Thus the display device delineates a display area which may be of any desired width, say 2 or 3 feet or more, depending upon the curvature and width of the end sections forming the end. extensions 12 and 13, may be of any desired length depending chiefly on the length of the back wall 11, and of any desired height depending upon the height of the individual sections, hereinafter described.

The back wall 11 has its upper end 15 arched or domed, as shown in Figures 1 and 6. The endextensions 12 and 13' similarly have their upper ends coved or arched, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 7 and as indicated by the reference character 16. The arches or coves 16 at the ends merge into the arch or cove at the upper end of back 11 forming an overhang for the display area, as shown in Figure 9, which overhang has its forward edge 16 spaced from the front facing member 42 hereinafter described. I

Desirably, the illumination for the display area is dispozed in the forward end of this overhang, as will be explained more fully hereinafter, thus permitting any desired illumination of the display area to set off and attractively display any article disposed therein.

In accordance With this invention back .11 is composed of like sections, one of which is shown in Fig. 6. Each section. is of concave-convex shape in cross-section and consists of the vertically extending portion 17 forming 3 the back wall merging into an arched or coved portion 18. One side of each section is formed with a vertical side wall 19 provided with spaced bolt holes or openings 20. The other side is provided with side wall 21 formed with spaced openings or bolt holes 22 and an integral flange 23. The side walls are provided with aligned extensions e, which add strength to the abutting side walls as shown in Figs. 5, 8 and 11. The back sections, as best shown in Fig. 5, are assembled with the side 19 of one section abutting the flange 23 of a contiguous section, and with the sides bolted together by a tubular bolt 24 receiving a threaded bolt 24', which bolts 24 and 24' pass through the aligned bolt holes -22. In this way by assembling the proper number of sections 17, a back having a coved or arched top is formed of any desired length. It will be understood that instead of bolting the sections together they may be otherwise secured together to permit ready separation or assembly.

Each end extension 12 and 13 is constituted of four sections 26, one of which is shown in Fig. 7. Each section 26 consists of the vertically extending portion 27 of'c'oncavo-convex shape, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 7, merging into an arch or cove 28 of gradually diminishing width towards the top of the section 26. Each section 26 has a vertical side wall 29 at one side thereof'a'nd an oppositely disposed side wall 31 provided with an integral flange 32. The side walls desirably are formed with aligned extensions e similar to the extensions 2 on the back sections shown in Fig. 6. Four sections 27 are placed with the vertical side wall 29 of one section abutting the side wall 31 and the flange 32 of a contiguous section. The gradually diminishing width of the upper ends of the sections 26 when the sections are thus assembled, form the arches or coves 16 at the upper ends of the display device. The end sections 27 may be bolted together as in the case of sections 17 hereinabove described, or may be otherwise fastened, e. g., secured together by suitable clamps to permit ready separation or assembly.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the extremities 32' and 33' of the end sections 12 and 13 abut a front frame 34 which imparts a pleasing finished appearance to the front end of the display device. The frame 34 comprises two vertical members 35, 36, preferably channel shaped in cross section, as shown in Figs. 4 and 10, to save material and weight, which have their upper ends 37 curved or arched to conform with the shape of the upper ends of the end sections. Members 35 and 36 may be removably bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the end extremities 32' and 33' of the end extensions 13 and 12, desirably using a tubular bolt connection 24 and 24' as shown in Fig. 10. Substantially U-shaped connecting members 38 and 39 (Fig. 4) are provided into which the ends 40 and 41, respectively, of the members 35 and 36 extend. An intermediate horizontally extending decorative member 42 has its opposite ends disposed in the connecting members 38 and 39. Connecting members 38 and 39 may be bolted or otherwise secured to the extremities of the facing members 35, 36 and support the member 42 by having the ends of the latter fit within openings 43 in the connecting members 38 and 39.

In the drawing the circles 45 represent electrical outlets into which suitable electric lamps may be disposed to provide illumination for the display area. Hanging flood lights 44 are suspended from the connecting memhers 38, 39. Additional lights are disposed, desirably across the full width of the upper portion of the display device, to illuminate the background and display area. It will be understood that sources of illumination of difierent colors may be employed to obtain any desired color effects.

For the material of construction of the individual sections, as well as the vertical facing members 35, 36, the connecting members 38, 39 and the cross-member 42, wood, aluminum, steel, fibre glass or other suitable mate- 19 and 21 abuting. The sections are rial'may be used. Fibre glass molded to shape is preferred because it has the advantage of lightness, strength, resistance to decay and fire resistance. The sections may readily be molded by associating individual layers of laminae of glass cloth comprising at least one layer of cloth having both warp and weft threads and desirably a layer of felted glass fibres, coating these layers with a suitable resin-binder and molding the assembly to pro.- duce sections of the desired shape shown in the drawings. The resins used are those capable of curing at low pressure and temperature, such, for example, as copolymers of styrene and esters of a polyhydric alcohol and a polybasic acid. Examples of such resins are:

Styrene and propylene glycol maleate phthalate copolymer resin made by Pitsburgh Plate Glass Company.

Phenol formaldehyde resins made by Bakelite Corporation.

Ethylene glycol maleate polyester resins containing styrene, made by Monsanto Chemical Co.

These resins are applied to the glass-cloth laminae with the addition of a polymerization catalyst such as.

lauryl peroxide. Desirably there is incorporated in the molded mix suitablefire preventatives, such, for example, as inorganic salts or oxides, e. g., antimony oxide. The resultant mixture is cured at temperatures between 200 to 300 F. and pressures of 200 lbs. to 300 lbs. per square inch to produce firm, rigid sections.

Where molded sections of fibre glass are used and the sections are relatively high, say more than 2' or 3', it is preferred to reinforce the end walls of the sections by bonding thereto a metal strip, such as an aluminum strip. Fig. 8 shows such reinforced construction for the sections forming the back wall of the display device. In this figure 22 indicates the side wall of a section having r integral flange 23' to which is secured a metal strip desirably of aluminum or steel running the full length of the side wall 22'. The opposite side wall 19' similarly has attached thereto running the full length thereof a reinforcing metal strip 51. It will be understood that the sections 26 forming the end extensions have their side edges reinforced by metal strips in a similar manner.

It will be noted that the present invention provides an attractive display device of sectional construction, the sections being readily assemblable to produce the device or taken apart for movement from one location to another or for storage purposes. When thus disassembled, the sections occupy relatively little space. Only two types of sections are required to produce the major portion of this display device, namely, that of Fig. 6 to form the back and that of Fig. 7 to form the end extensions. This results in a marked economy in the cost of the device and in the labor and skill required to assemble it.

Since certain changes may be made in the above described display device and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

A display device of fluted construction with the flutes running from top to bottom of the display device, said display device consisting of a back wall portion, a back cove portion merging into the top of said back wall portion and two end extensions at opposite sides of said back wall portion; each of said end extensions comprising an upper cove portion merging into said back cove portion at an end thereof and a lower arched side portion merging into a side of said back wall portion; said back wall portion being constituted of all like sections extending from top to bottom of said display device, each 'of concave-convex shape in cross-section, having an unflanged wall along one side thereof, a flanged wall along the other side thereof and the sections being disposed with the unflanged Wall of one 5 section abutting the flanged wall of a contiguous secelati nship with the unflanged all of n ti n a uttiOn; and said end extension being each constituted of g the flanged Wall of a contiguous Sectionall like sections extending from top to bottom of said display device, each of concavoconvex shape in cross- References Cited in the file of this patent section, having at one side thereof an unflanged wall 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS and at the other side thereof a flanged wall, said end 1,852,471 Nelson 5,1932- sections each having the upper portion thereof of grad- 1 900 552 Guth Man 7 1933 ually diminishing width in the direction toward the top of 2 551 753 M C ll h May 3 195 said device and being disposed in side by Side abutt ng 2,745,948 Prest May 15, 1956 

